US Mint May Begin Producing Trump Commemorative Gold Coin After Arts Commission Approves Design

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal arts commission on Thursday approved the final design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin featuring President Donald Trump to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4.

The vote by the United States Commission of Fine Arts, whose members support the Republican president and were appointed by him earlier this year, had no objections. This paves the way for the United States Mint to begin production of the coin, the size and denomination of which are still under discussion.

“As we approach our 250th birthday, we are thrilled to prepare coins that represent the enduring spirit of our country and our democracy, and there is no more iconic profile for the obverse of such coins than that of our sitting President, Donald J. Trump,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement.

Federal law says that no living president can appear on US currency. But Megan Sullivan, acting head of the Mint’s Design Management Office, said the Treasury secretary has the authority to authorize the minting and issuance of certain coins.

She presented the final design of the coin at the commission’s March meeting on Thursday and said Trump had approved it.

“My understanding is that the Secretary of the Treasury presented this design, as well as others, to the president and this was his selection,” Sullivan said.

The White House and Mint did not immediately respond to electronic and telephone requests for comment.

The obverse of the coin features an image of Trump wearing a suit and tie with a stern expression on his face. His fists rest on what is supposed to be a desk as he leans forward. The letters on the top half of the coin spell “FREEDOM” in a slight arc. Directly below are the dates 1776-2026. The words “IN GOD WE TRUST” are at the bottom, with seven stars on one side of the coin and six stars on the other side.

The reverse features a bald eagle in flight with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” on the right side and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” on the left side.

“I know it’s a very strong and harsh image of him, and I think it’s appropriate to have a current sitting president presiding over the country for the 250th year on a commemorative coin from that year,” said Commissioner Chamberlain Harris, a senior Trump White House adviser.

The coin will be part of a “very limited production run,” Sullivan said, but the number has not been determined. The size and denomination of the coin have not yet been decided, he said. Some commissioners noted Trump’s penchant for big things and advocated for the larger coin.

The Mint, part of the Treasury Department, has discussed a size for the Trump coin that is larger than his 1-ounce (28-gram) gold coin, which is about 1.3 inches (3.3 centimeters) in diameter, Sullivan said.

His largest coin measures 7.6 centimeters (3 inches), “so we’re looking somewhere there,” he said.

“I think the president likes big things,” said Commissioner James McCrery II, who was the architect of Trump’s design proposal for a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom added to the White House. The fine arts commission approved that proposal at its February meeting.

Harris told McCrery that he agreed with him. She works in the White House as special assistant to the president and deputy director of the Oval Office.

“I think the bigger the better. I think the larger circulation would be your preference,” Harris said, speaking of Trump.